Mayoral Candidate Curtis Sliwa Hits a Home Run at RRC Fundraiser

By Kami-Leigh Agard

Last Thursday, September 4, Breezy Point’s Silver Gull Beach Club was a sea of red with over 200 people flooding in to support Curtis Sliwa at the Rockaway Republican Club’s marquee fundraising event for the Republican mayoral candidate. And with an all-star lineup—77 WABC radio personality, Sid Rosenberg; The Naked Cowboy; artist and conservative activist, Scott Lobaido a.k.a. “The Relentless Patriot; and Sliwa himself—the RRC is stepping up its game to get the red beret-wearing Republican a home run on election day, November 4.

RRC President Mary Glynn opened with, “We are all here to save NYC. Our job is to vote and get everyone we know to vote for Curtis. Get your friends and neighbors to vote. If you’re a snowbird or an out-of-state college student, make sure and get your absentee ballot in.” She then encouraged attendees to get involved with the RRC’s campaign to get Sliwa elected by becoming a block captain, a strategy to mobilize Republican neighbors to vote; assist with phone banking and canvassing; plus, erect “Vote Sliwa” lawn and store signs. (To volunteer as a block captain, call/text: (646) 285-1282).

Next, swinging his guitar and donning his signature cowboy hat and boots, and white underwear with “Sliwa” emblazoned on the back was Times Square street performer, singer and actor, Robert John Burck, better known as the Naked Cowboy. He led the crowd in a theme song he’s been performing all around NYC in support of Sliwa.

He sang, “Vote Curtis Sliwa for mayor for NYC. Mamdani is just a left-wing lunatic like AOC. Curtis stands with law enforcement, he’ll be tough on crime. Mamdani supports no cash-bail, sides with criminals all the time. Curtis supports hard work and responsibility. Mamdani is a socialist, thinks that everything is free.” At this, the room exploded with applause.

As of press time, a New York Times and Sienna College poll shows Mandani out in front with 46% of likely voters to 24% for Cuomo, 15% for Sliwa and just 9% for the incumbent mayor, Eric Adams.

Despite outcries for both Sliwa and Adams to drop out of the race to give Cuomo a rosier chance at defeating Mamdani, and rumors that they were offered positions in Trump’s cabinet if they dropped out—Sliwa and Adams have said they’re not going anywhere.

At the RRC’s fundraising event, Sliwa said, “I’ve always been a fighter for NYC. You have to be a fighter. You have to be a survivor.”

Since the 1970s, Sliwa has been known for his “Guardian Angels.” In 1977, as a manager at a McDonald’s in the Bronx, he created a group called, “The Rock Brigade” to make the borough clean and safe. Then, in 1979, he started a new safety group, “The Magnificent 13,” to patrol the Bronx and trains overnight. As crime continued to grow, he decided to expand the group and renamed it “The Guardian Angels.”

Regarding President Trump’s influence on the mayoral race, Sliwa said, “If the president with all his powers could bring peace to Gaza between Israel and Hamas, he could take away one of Mamdani’s selling points to the millennial and Gen Z. It’s a lot of work, but Trump can do that.

“Mamdani is Bill de Blasio on steroids, and now we see the former mayor mentoring his student, Mamdani. Mamdani wants to campaign against Donald Trump. He’s not campaigning against Eric Adams, Andrew Cuomo or myself.

“My campaign is focused on the issues that affect my fellow New Yorkers—crime, public safety and quality of life. What does Mamdani plan to do to residential communities in the outer boroughs? I’m the only candidate that says no to the City of Yes. Developers—take your greedy hands off our residential communities. The City of Yes will destroy NYC as we know it.”

At the conclusion of his rallying cry for support at the RRC’s fundraiser, Sliwa said, “As we scrape towards November 4, you better believe I’m gonna be like Paul Revere going into every one of these neighborhoods, rallying people around me to vote for me. Because when I’m in office on January 1, it’s cease and desist. No City of Yes. No movement to Defund the Police.

“We gotta start with our own family of Republicans. Only 25% of voters come out in a mayoral election. It’s one year after a presidential election.”

Sliwa then invited his campaign team to come on stage, notably a young group of millennials. One millennial was 30-year-old Kyle Wade, a local member of the RRC’s Sandy Elephants.

“It’s really good to back a patriotic candidate like Curtis Sliwa. He’s been fighting for NYC since the ‘70s. Mamdani is just a smooth talker, making false promises of making everything in the city free. I also can’t get past that his father called the 9/11 hijackers, soldiers. My family, my neighbors we lost a lot of people in the towers with 9/11. Plus, in the past, he’s said, ‘Globalize the Intifada,’ which is about waging violence against Jewish people. I hope people keep that in mind on November 4,” Wade said.

According to City & State New York, as of September 7, Sliwa’s campaign has $4.2M, including public matching funds and $3.4M in the bank as of late August. Mamdani has raised the most, with a whopping $15.3M, including matching funds and $9 million in the bank, as of late August.

RRC member, Catherine O’Connor, who served 20 years with the NYPD as a detective, said that with the momentum gained at the RRC fundraising event, Sliwa is making gains.

“People want change, and Curtis Sliwa is that change after years of being shortchanged by De Blasio and now Adams. And this fundraising event shows how excited people are about getting Sliwa in office. I feel people don’t think their vote counts because NYS traditionally votes blue. However, local elections do count. If we all go out and vote, it will make a difference, not unlike when Rudy Giuliani and Michael Bloomberg won their mayoral races. Sliwa has a chance, but people need to get out and vote,” O’Connor said.

For more info about Curtis Sliwa and to support/donate towards his campaign, visit: www.sliwafornyc.com/get-involved.

The next RRC meeting will be September 25, 7 p.m. at the Rockaway Point Breezy Point Catholic Club (204-10 Rockaway Point Blvd.) For more info, visit: Rockaway Republican Club NYC on Facebook/Instagram.